trigger warning
<spoiler> trauma, sexual assault, blackmail </spoiler>

Ten people from a start-up have booked a holiday in a secluded châlet in the French mountains. They're supposed to stay a week, but the staff of two is startled to see that they are already on their metaphorical throats on day one.

Apparently, this is based on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, which in turn is based on a highly racist rhyme in which you get from ten to zero people. The rhyme is not mentioned, the only allusion is in the title - you can altogether ignore it.

We have a secluded adress that is <i>only</i> reachable through a furnicular, a special kind of lift thingy. It's heavily snowing as the book begins. From the prologue, we know that eight people survive their ordeal - but we don't know who.

Towards the end, it gets pretty clear who the culprit is, but I enjoyed it nevertheless, since I didn't know how exactly it would play out.
Basically, I got what I wanted with all the tropes I wanted. Like, <i>of course</i> they loose the telephone and internet connection. <i>Of course</i> it snows so heavily the furnicular won't work. You know, stuff you just come to expect.
It's like when in a movie, there's a chase scene that ends at a body of water and you <i>know</i> at least one person will end up getting wet.

I liked it. Not my first Ruth Ware, but certainly not my last, either.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

I liked the premise of "One by One" a lot - a snowy chalet in which a group of employees are trapped, and start getting picked off one by one. What follows is actually a lot more complex than that, and is an enjoyable if slightly predictable whodunnit. While there was lots to like about the book, there were also several things I didn't like - the massive cast of characters is hard to keep up with and means that the individual characters don't have the room to ever be fully developed. An enjoyable read on the whole though, and I liked the social media element as well, it lent the story an original slant.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley who provided me with a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and will give it a huge thumbs up. With a great story line and excellent main characters - I would highly recommend this book.

#OneByOne #NetGalley
Ruth compels you till its breathtaking ending.
This is I think modern age And Then There Were None ( written by Agatha Christie ). I've read many books on the same concept like Sleep by C.L. Taylor, The Guest House by Abbie Frost, The Guest List by Lucy Foley, The Chalet by Catherine Cooper and The Island by C.L. Taylor again based on the same concept which hasn't been released yet.

Everyone has their own writing style, the way they open suspense in front of their readers and Ruth Ware does it very well in this book.

Snow is falling in the exclusive alpine ski resort of Saint Antoine, as the shareholders and directors of Snoop, the hottest new music app, gather for a make or break corporate retreat to decide the future of the company. At stake is a billion-dollar dot com buyout that could make them all millionaires, or leave some of them out in the cold.

Ten people, ten secrets, one murderer. Welcome to ski resort.
Who's the murderer?
Catch them yourself when you give it a go.
I loved the characters and plot. Although it resembles many other books but I personally find it's ending satisfying.
I'll post a public review on the publication day of this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Vintage Publishing for giving me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This stand alone thriller by Ruth Ware is an exciting Agatha Christie style novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

This is an exciting read that is quick off the mark and very addictive. Like most good thrillers there are lots of suspects with motives and the finger of suspicion keeps moving from character to character.

In the exclusive alpine ski resort of Saint Antoine the shareholders of the latest music app Snoop are meeting to decide the future of the company. With a billion dollar buyout at stake tempers are fraught. With tensions rising and a decision that could make them either millionaires or left out in the offering the atmosphere is electric.

A storm is brewing and an avalanche cuts the chalet off from help, so when one board member goes missing in the snow, the group is ponders the question as to whether someone would resort to murder, to get what they want.

There are quite a few characters in this book and the Agatha Christie classic 'And then there were none' is an obvious comparison. Like the Christie novel this is an exciting read with a moving finger of suspicion.

I would like to thank both Net Galley and Random House Vintage Publishing for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I always know I am in for an entertaining ride with a Ruth Ware book. An isolated ski chalet post avalanche coupled with a potential business coup creates a claustrophobic and tense atmosphere. With a generous nod to Agatha Christie's closed room mysteries, members of the group start to go missing or turn up dead. Each of the group members has reason to be under suspicion; most are unlikeable, caricatures of new media start-up companies, swapping bed partners and company loyalties with ease. There are also the characters on the periphery of the main group; Erin and Danny, the chalet staff, and Liz, a previous employee of Snoop who all seem to have secrets of their own.
It's wildly improbable, the characterisation is pretty two dimensional and the villain easy to guess, BUT, it is pulled off in such a fun and fast-paced fashion, that I did the only sensible thing, buckled up and enjoyed the ride.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

In 1939, Agatha Christie wrote 'And then there were none' (although the original title was a little different), a book about a group of people, cut off from the world, who are murdered. This is still the world's most successfull mystery, according to Wikipedia that is.
After 1939, numerous authors have tried to write a novel around the same plot. Some of them worked, some did not.

Ruth Ware did not try. She succeeded! This is by far the best book I've read with the theme of disappearing and/or murdered people that are forced to stay together. First of all, the characters. Funny enough, there are some characters we do not get to know very well, but they still feel very real. The characters we do get to know better, because they are the narrators of the story, sometimes seem very different from what we believe they are. The snowed-in cabin plays its own role, as does the weather.

This is a story with multiple layers and a very believable plot. Page by page I was sucked into the story, which brought up a lot of memories, not all being nice. To have to stay in a hotel in the Alps with a group of colleagues that don't like you... It brought fond memories too, about skiing in a snowstorm one day in Jackson Hole.

We are warned at the start of the story that some of the Snoop's founders and employees will not return so no surprises there, but apart from that each chapter, whether seen from Liz (who once worked at Snoop) or Erin (who took this job in the resort after a terrible experience in the snow), there is surprise after surprise. The plot actually looks like a difficult slope: turn after turn after turn, only enjoyable for a real pro.

So, I got a lot out of this book! An interesting and very entertaining read and lots of memories. I would recommend everybody who ever set foot on a ski slope to read this book immediately. And those who haven't: well, maybe you should try it one day. Not with colleagues of course.

Thanks to Netgalley for this digital review copy.

In the beautiful ski resort of Saint Antoine, Ellen and Danny are awaiting their next group of visitors. Working for Snoop, a music app that’s taken the world by storm, the group are there to make big decisions about their future. Unsurprisingly, not everyone agrees to what’s being suggested. Which is one thing, but when an avalanche cuts off the chalet from help, leaving Danny and Ellen to calm frazzled guests but also make sense of what’s going on for themselves, it’s clear that there’s a lot more bubbling under the surface than career development. Moreover, one of the group is willing to resort to permanent arrangements to get what they want. This is a tightly written read, that keeps your attention throughout and my favourite of Ruth’s books so far.

Having read and enjoyed all of Ruth Ware's previous books, I was delighted to receive an ARC of her latest one. The plot was very reminiscent of Agatha Christies And Then There Were None. The setting for this book was a ski resort in Saint Antoine where the shareholders and directors of Snoop, a music app, were gathered to discuss the prospect of a billion dollar buy out. As the weather worsens an avalanche cuts the chalet off from the outside world and the tension rises between the guests who have differing opinions about the buy out. One of the guests is missing and then another is found dead in the chalet. Apart from the guests the only other characters are Erin the chalet maid and Danny the chef. Unlike other Ruth Ware books I guessed who the murderer was quite early on but nevertheless was waiting for another twist in the tale which never came. An enjoyable read but not my favourite of Ruth's books.

I really enjoyed One by One. Ruth Ware is such a great writer! This one felt a bit like the game/movie Clue, which was really fun. It took a minute to figure out who was who and what role each person played in the company. The app sounds really cool! It definitely ended with closure. Yet another stellar book by Ruth Ware!

Thank you so much to Random House UK and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance!

Really enjoyed this, it didn't make me want to sequester in a snow-surrounded chalet but it was a good, zippy and intriguing book. I will say if you have read other Ware books (I'm a fan), this was not a new premise and guessing the perpetrator was not hard but I still enjoyed it!

I think that I will take a break from reading Ruth Ware's novels as "One By One" is perhaps her most mediocre thriller writing attempt until now. I've enjoyed some of her previous psychological thrillers such as "The Lying Game" and "The Turn of the Key, though I don't think that they are the best that the genre has to offer. The main problem is that the author seems to adopt a specific pattern in her every novel as far as the setting, plotline, and characterization are concerned thus giving the reader a feeling of repetition that renders her work generic and formulaic. The plot involves a limited number of colleagues that set off to the French Alps for a skiing vacation and become stranded after a massive avalanche cuts them off the civilized world. Furthermore, one by one the colleagues begin to either disappear or get murdered. Well, as you can easily understand there are heavy references to Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" and R. Ware seems to be a loyal admirer of the English godmother of the cozy mystery genre. The thing is that the devoted crime fiction readers are sick and tired of similar storylines as they have become a major cliche. If you enjoy light whodunits and devour novels written by Shari Lapena or Lucy Foley then you can give this one a chance, but if you feel that you've already read a ton of similar stuff, better stay away.

Good book to read quickly ,

I read Ruth Ware pervious books and I loved them. I can see this book is as fast as the others. From the first page I could not stop, rushing to finish it.
What I love about her book it reminds me of Agatha Christie books.


What book , it takes your breath away. I really liked how we seeing from two characters prospect , Eve and Erin , Eve is with the group of company that rent a house in the skiing. Erin is working in that house and came here after tragedy of her own .

There was a lot of reference to Skiing vocabulary which I didn't understand but it didn't effect the reading of the book.

The end was really good, I remember loving Mystery books ,it kind of modern who done it style .

One by One is a thriller set in a ski resort in France. A group of people brought together, unable to leave the resort after heavy weather and a power cut, and unable to make contact with the outside world. Then members of the group start dying and everyone is a suspect. Another cracking read from Ruth Ware with plenty of suspense and twists..

This had a very Agatha Christie feel to it in 'Then there were none'.

Erin and Danny are Chalet staff in the Alps and are in charge of the Chalet when Topher and his team from the successful App, 'Snoop' arrive for a week on the slopes.

Right from the start there are tensions in the group and a divide on how to take the business forward.

Then there is a fatal accident on the slopes...but as things start happening to other guests, was it really an accident?

An storm hits, resulting in an avalanche, the group our snowed in...with a killer.

Who can they trust? Will they found out who the killer is before it's too late?

I really enjoyed this book, my only problem with it was I read a book last week set in the ALs, with a snow storm an avalanche and a killer and I found myself stuck between the plots because the other book was still so fresh in my mind, I was mixing characters up and I plot lines! This is obviously no fault of the writers, both the books were great - just don't read them so close together like I did!

This is my honest opinion, thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review the book.

The thought of skiing terrifies me, and this adds to the tension of this new novel for me. Ruth Ware has created another brilliant novel where the reader is kept in anticipation as events at a ski lodge in the Alps unfold.
Erin and Danny are the hosts at a ski lodge and welcome the work party from Snoop (an app that allows you to listen to the same music as other people listen). The team are meeting to discuss plans for a buyout, and enjoy some skiing while they are there, but things won't go to plan. Ware keeps you on e edge of your seat as the cast of characters work their way through this drama. No one is quite what they seem and hidden secrets lead to mistrust, accidents and even death.
Hooked from the first page.

I thought the blurb on this sounded good however it seemed to take ages to finish.
An OK read for me, it just didn't have the promise of a good suspense or psyological thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first Ruth Ware book for me.

I enjoyed the premise and was looking forward to immersing myself in chalet life.

It started really well, quick paced with believable characters, great story and well thought out plot.

Lots to keep track of and keep you focused.

Was a quick read, with intrigue, suspense and thrills abound.

A cracker of a story so 5 stars from me.

Wow! That was a blast I thoroughly enjoyed One by One, having been (a little) in two minds about Ruth Ware for a while. Don't get me wrong, I loved Death of Mrs. Westaway, and The Woman in Cabin 10, but was in two minds about In a Dark Dark Wood. (The story itself was okay, but the ending was not my cup of tea at all.)

Enter One by One. The write up said Agatha Christie-esqe, a bunch of people trapped (!) together, one of them (or maybe more) a rather wicked little bedfellow. I'm a sucker for the locked room mystery and this didn't disappoint. The characters are well-drawn out and defined, not overly likable - excepting Erin and Danny, I did like them, no-nonsense, but real and down to earth - but the rest.... Nah. Exactly the type of people most sensible folk find a bit spoilt, a lot shallow, and very much in need of a wake-up call. Well, no spoilers, but wake up call is what they got, that is for sure.

The story revolves around a group of entitled (used lightly, you'll see why) up-and-coming men and women who have come up with a music app called Snoop. Snoop, you'll find, was used rather cleverly to enhance the story, and played an interesting role if you peeled back a few layers. The pace was fast and exhilarating, just like a skier speeding down a sleek slope, ice hissing up in a whip-fast spray as they excellently navigate the course, something which you might want to able to do when trapped in a beautiful chalet on an idyllic, remote mountain top!

The characters kept me guessing, each time I thought I had an inkling of what was happening, I was wrong, and the ending was spectacular! I really enjoyed it, and definitely did not anticipate the conclusion.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harvill Secker and Ruth Ware for y ARC.

‘The words chant inside my head, a kind of gruesome countdown, edging closer to zero, one by one.’

I was nervous going into this book as I LOVED Ruth Ware’s previous book The Turn of the Key so much and was scared this wouldn’t live up to my preconceived notions... and boy was I wrong! This book was incredible!

Pulling inspiration I’m sure from Agatha Christie’s famed And Then There Were None (which is a personal favourite of mine) Ruth Ware has pieced together a brilliant whodunnit. We are told the narrative through 2 different sides, one being Liz, a former employee of ‘Snoop’, the company behind an music app of the same name, who as a share holder in the company has been invited on the company ski retreat and one being Erin, One of the two members of stag at the chalet in which Snoop are vacationing. When an avalanche strikes and they are shut off from the outside world and any possibility of quick help, the group start to panic, and as numbers start to dwindle faster and faster they realise a murderer is in their midst.

A truly enjoyable read from start to finish that I couldn’t put down! I flew through this and it really is a credit to Ruth Ware’s great writing as that now makes 2 of her books that happily sit as my best books of 2020. I loved following along the 2 narratives and their opposing opinions, and I found myself constantly trying to second guess what was coming and work out if there would be another victim and who that would be and why. Did I find it slightly obvious who the murderer was? Yes. But did that take away anything from the story? Absolutely not, if anything it added to it as I found myself constantly asking BUT WHY!?

All in all, a great read and a massive thank you to netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage Publishing for the ARC!